200+ Inspired Ocean Names for Babies

If you're a lover of the beach and sea, and want a name that relates to the largest body of water, there are several variations you could consider.

New Zealand writer Ngaio (born Edith Ngaio) Marsh is the best-known bearer of this Maori nature name, properly pronounced ng (like the end of sing) -EYE-oh. It is the name of a tree indigenous to New Zealand, also called the Mousehole Tree.

Maylin is following in the footsteps of Maelynn and Maelyn — two modern invented Mae and Lynn compounds that are on the rise.

Upbeat name that cheers you as soon as you hear it. One famous bearer is Maori feminist Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia.

Cross-cultural name with a great nautical meaning. It boomed in the 1930s and has potential for revival now.

An original choice for a fisherman's child.

This Yaygir Aboriginal name is the name of two towns in Australia and is also occasionally spotted as a name. Meaning "by the sea" the name is perfect for beach-going families.

Mythological water spirit with the more common spelling of Ondine, heroine of an Edith Wharton novel.

Laguna Beach is a famous California spot -- though there's "goonie" teasing potential.

Popular Dutch name derived from a combination of Maria (Ria) + Anne, or as a short form of Marianne.

Gwenora teeters on the line between unique gem and modern invention. But it's not a smoosh name fashioned from Gwen and Nora but an old Cornish form of Guinevere, like its much more famous sister Jennifer.

Lir is the Irish god of the sea, the equivalent of the Welsh Llyr which some equate with Shakespeare's King Lear. This is one of those rare names that is simple and has a deep history with an appealing meeting and yet is completely unused in the modern world -- no baby boys were recorded as receiving the name Lir in the US last year. Maybe because it sounds like the unappealing leer?

With the tide coming in on a new wave of word names, this one just might catch on, especially for parents who relish sun, sand, and surf. Forest lovers can spell it Beech, like the tree.

Highly unusual water name -- and actor Colin surname -- with a Scottish burr. Firth derives from the Old Norse word fjord.

Anahita is the name of the water goddess who rules, among other things, fertility and wisdom. Associated with Venue, Anahita is a stylish Iranian name for girls.

A fresh and summery — if rather long — color that sounds namelike, but is extremely rarely used.

Both Maire and Mare have begun making inroads with parents seeking novel yet authentic ways of honoring an ancestral Mary. The Finnish variation derives from the word mairea, meaning "sweet."

An offbeat way to get to Gwen.

Wave made, well, waves when it was revealed to be the name of Cardi B and Offset's son. Evocative of crashing waves at the beach, large surfing barrels, and tumultuous and stormy seas, Wave is a name with a lot of personalities.

Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik notably chose this name for their daughter in 2020, as a variation of Gigi's grandmother's name, Khairiah. In 2021, the name caught on for boys — Khai was a new debut on the Top 1000 and one of the fastest-rising names that year.